


Asking the Question

by sanctuary_for_all



Series: Anywhere [9]
Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: A.K.A. A better world than canon, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Established Relationship, Feels, Fluff, I am always surprised anew at every fresh reminder of Mac's interpersonal anxiety, M/M, Marriage Proposal, No matter how much sense it makes given his life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-27
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-13 13:21:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29029362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sanctuary_for_all/pseuds/sanctuary_for_all
Summary: Mac tries to figure out the best way to propose to Jack. (Fluffy canon AU, as if that’s not already painfully obvious by the summary.)
Relationships: Jack Dalton/Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016)
Series: Anywhere [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1019214
Comments: 6
Kudos: 63





	Asking the Question

Mac realized he wanted to marry Jack one night when they were tangled up in bed together, the sudden understanding as clear and undeniable as any mathematical or scientific insight he'd ever had. It wouldn't change anything between them, but it was the best, truest definition for what they already had. A definition that would be written down where the rest of the world could read, even though most of their lives couldn't be.

Transforming that realization into an actual proposal, however, was considerably more complicated. Mac had been completely serious when he'd told Riley he wasn't a romantic, but even he knew there were certain standards you had to uphold when you proposed to the love of your life. It had to be special, it had to be calibrated to the tastes of the person you were proposing to, and it had to make _them_ feel special.

Mac was good at planning, and he’d never been reluctant to put work into a project. But he’d never had a project that mattered this much, at least not where lives weren’t on the line, and designing a proposal that fully met the project requirements was proving to be a challenge. A candlelit dinner was too generic for Jack, and given their lives he’d know something was up in an instant. A quiet night out by the fire pit wasn’t special enough, something with the entire team would put pressure on Jack, and a Bruce Willis-themed proposal just sounded like a terrible idea. He’d seriously considered doing it anyway the day he’d taken Jack to see the replica of the Millenium Falcon cockpit a friend of a friend had created in a local makerspace, but it had felt too much like he was using it for some ulterior motive beyond making Jack smile. Besides, they were Han and Chewie, not Han and Leia – not exactly the most romantic context for a proposal.

The side effect of this was that he ended up carrying the ring around in his pocket for awhile, waiting for the right moment. Sometimes, circumstances lined up to create something better than you ever could have planned for in advance.

And sometimes, you ended up getting your engagement ring handed back to you halfway down a cliffside while you’re both waiting for your team to find your homemade locating beacon.

“You dropped this,” Jack said easily, handing over the ring he’d just pulled out of his tac vest. His eyes were still closed, head tilted back against the stone like he was sunning on their deck at home rather than squeezed together on a fairly small ledge that was the only thing standing between them and plummeting to their deaths. “Fell out of your pocket when you were turning that truck into a bomb.”

Mac swallowed. He hadn’t even realized he’d lost it. “Thanks.” He gingerly took the ring from Jack, not yet sure where this conversation was going. Surely Jack had figured it out – there weren’t a lot of reasons people walked around with rings in their pockets. “What made you decide to pick it up?”

Jack smiled a little, eyes still closed. “Looked a little more important than the paperclips you used to carry around all the time.”

Mac expected some follow-up to this, either a teasing comment about Mac needing to ask him something or a gentle comment about rings not being a good idea with the life they had, but neither happened. There was no follow-up at all, just Jack’s arm pressed up against his and radiating a bone-deep contentment entirely at odds with the situation.

Mac thought about just asking him. Then he thought about trying to gently lead into the question, explaining how important Jack was and how much loving him had transformed his life. The problem with this was that he and Jack had been together for almost two _years_ and he still hadn’t figured out how to explain any of that properly. He’d been hoping the right proposal would do it for him, but right now that seemed far less likely than the team finding them.

He sighed. “It’s made out of paperclips.”

That was enough to make Jack open his eyes, interest flaring. “Seriously?” Mac held up the ring, and he leaned forward slightly to get a closer look. “Holy shit, it is. But you’ve done this braided twisty thing I can’t quite figure out that makes it look like one solid ring.” He gave Mac an impressed look. “You must have used a hell of a lot of paperclips.”

He had, actually. It was the one ridiculously complicated plan in all this that had felt completely right. “Thankfully, they’re easy to buy in bulk.”

Jack watched his face, brow furrowing as if he picked up on something in Mac’s expression he couldn’t quite translate. For the first time, Mac was certain Jack didn’t have a single clue about who the ring was intended for. “You know whoever you made it for is going to love it, right?”

Mac smiled a little, throat tight. “Yeah. You’ve always been good at loving weird things.”

Jack’s expression went soft. “Weird, _beautiful_ things.” He leaned over for a gentle kiss that wouldn’t tempt either of them to move around too much. When they pulled away again, he looked as excited as a little kid. “So, any chance I can have it now? Or were you saving it for a holiday?”

Mac hesitated, making a decision. Maybe this wasn’t the “right moment” the way he thought it would be, but it was very them. And that was, by far, the most special thing in Mac’s life.

Even if Jack didn’t want to get married, he wasn’t going to leave. Anything short of that, he could deal with.

Mac took a deep breath. “Actually, this isn’t exactly a gift.” He turned to look at Jack’s face, heart in his throat. “It’s really more of a question.”

Mac watched as understanding slowly bled into Jack's eyes, immediately followed by a fragile hope that made his chest hurt to see it. "Really?" Jack asked, voice suddenly thick. It looked like he was about to cry any second, but these were the good kind of tears.

"Really." Mac swallowed, his own eyes stinging. "You're my home, Jack. I want everybody to know that."

Jack’s eyes filled, and he leaned over for a kiss that was still careful but considerably more intense than the last one. When they broke apart, he tugged the glove off of and held out his left hand. It was trembling a little, but his eyes were shining.

Mac’s own hand wasn’t entirely steady as he slid the ring on Jack’s finger, a lump in his throat that made his voice rough. “This is a yes, right?”

“You’re damn right it’s a yes.” Jack pressed his forehead against Mac’s, hand curving around to cradle the back of Mac’s head. “You’re the rest of my life, darlin.’ I’m happy to shout it from the rooftops.”

Mac gently wiped away the tear tracks down Jack’s cheeks with his thumb. “Only if I get to do it first.”

Jack grinned as he leaned in for another kiss. “You sure know how to make a guy feel special.”

They were still kissing when the rescue helicopter found them. In an amazing show of restraint, the rest of the team only teased them about it for a week or so.

**Author's Note:**

> Come check out my [original fiction,](https://jennifferwardell.wixsite.com/mybooks) my [blog,](http://jennifferwardell.blogspot.com) or say hi to me on [Tumblr](http://sanctuaryforalluniverses.tumblr.com)!


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